Effiong Akwa and the NDDC, By Reuben Abati 9 min read
Within three weeks of assuming office, Effiong Akwa has engaged with the National Assembly to get approval, finally, for NDDC Budget 2020, which will run till June. But he must remain focused and refuse to be dragged into the politics of the job. His assignment is simple: facilitate the completion of the forensic audit. By now, he should know that all eyes are on him.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2020. The agency that was established 20 years ago to bring development to the nine oil-bearing States of the Niger Delta became an embarrassment to the Nigerian government. In 2019, President Buhari had ordered a forensic audit of the agency’s accounts, a move that was hailed as long overdue by many Nigerians. This was also said to be consistent with the administration’s anti-corruption campaign. What should have been a smooth administrative process how
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday restrained the federal government from taking further steps in the appointment of consultants that will monitor projects the repatriated $311 million Abacha loot is being channeled into.
The Executive Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof Femi Akinwumi has flagged off the opening of tenders for the 2019 UBEC/SUBEB Intervention projects in the state with a call on contractors handling SUBEB projects to always give value for money collected.
He said the huge investment of the government in the basic education sector can only have the desired impact if contractors use quality materials and abide by project specifications.
Akinwumi disclosed that the administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi had paid over N7.3 billion as counterpart funds to UBEC since it returned to office in October 2018 noting that this was responsible for the massive turnaround that was going on in public primary and junior secondary schools in the state where nearly 780 projects were nearing completion.
Nigeria: Yahaya Bello Signs N130bn 2021 Budget allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has signed into law the state’s 2021 budget appropriation bill for 2021.
The governor, at the signing event, which took place at the banquet hall of the government house on Wednesday, noted that his administration has always ensured that budget preparation in the state is always in alignment with realities hence its performance.
He also assured that its implementation would ensure a maximum positive impact on the lives of the people of the state.
The governor also signed five other bills already passed by the state House of Assembly into law.
They include the law repealing the district cause, law cap (33) of Northern Nigeria, the law providing for the Office of Auditor General of the Local Government and enacting Local Government Audit 2020, the law enacting the Kogi State Education Board and other matters (2020).